A Balancing Act: ReActor by Alex Schweder & Ward Shelley

ReActor is the latest project by the architect/artist duo Alex Schweder and Ward Shelley. It is currently amazing visitors to the grounds of the Omi International Arts Center in Ghent, a town near Albany, the capital of New York State.  The house measures about 32 m² and is made of concrete and wood. It has been placed atop a column just under 5 metres tall, where it can rotate and see-saw in any direction. The structure responds to movement inside as well as to external influences such as the wind. At the end of July, the duo lived in the ReActor (without becoming seasick) for five days. They want to demonstrate the intimate relationship between architecture and the people who live inside it. Two more performances are planned for September and October; the building will stand in the Architecture Omi Field 01 for two years.